The Cellario Acacia Bianco was aged in Acacia barrels, as the name implies, but that’s not the coolest thing about it. It’s a blend of Timorasso (80%) and Rosesse Bianco (20%). The first is a grape that came very close to extinction before it was rescued by the Paolo Massa and a couple other dedicated growers. The second is a grape that came so close to extinction that for several generations it was thought to have gotten all the way to extinction. Originally from Liguria on the other side of the mountains – where Rosesse Rosso still thrives – the Blanco was signed away as a casualty of the phylloxera epidemic, but it turned out some unknown person wandered north and into Piedmont with a few cuttings that grew in happy obscurity for eighty years before anyone realized what they were. 

It’s a fun blend, outrageously herbaceous, minty and basil-y and oregano-y and full of citrus and salt. Fresh and crunchy texture that makes us think of…